Unseen
by Alex Glaven
Summary: An insight to an unlikely character...curtsey of Ivan! Courtesy killed the Jupiter Djinni, Ivan!


I'm sorry! I know I have about fifty billion fics to finish, but Elena  
and I were talking about Garet, and this idea just popped into my head!  
  
Unseen  
by: Akiko  
  
Ivan sighed, leaning back against the trunk of a tree.   
  
Beyond the circle of light caused by the small fire in their camp there  
was only darkness. Especially on a night when no moon or starlight  
pierced the cloud cover. Ivan could only thank Luna's hidden face that  
the fire kept away most of the monsters in the area.   
  
*I hate having second watch,* he decided very firmly. *I really, REALLY  
hate it.*  
  
He looked over the other occupants of the camp. Mia was turned towards  
him, her blue hair tied back in twin pigtails. A handful of cerulean  
strands had come loose and were spread out over her porcelain cheek.   
Isaac was lying flat on his back, sprawled out. His blanket was lying  
crumpled to one side, and his mouth was open.  
  
Garet was also lying on his back, but he didn't appear to be quite as  
unconscious as his friends. His brow was furrowed, and he began  
muttering something softly.  
  
Ivan frowned and began moving closer to his friend. The Mars Adept  
groaned and threw out one hand, nearly hitting Ivan in the nose.   
  
The young Jupiter Adept backed up quickly, putting one hand in front of  
his face protectively.   
  
*Gosh, he nearly took my head off!*  
  
He closed his eyes, then reopened them. A kind of double vision struck  
him, the normal world in stark greys and blacks, even the areas not lit  
by the fire. The fire itself was still a cheerful red and yellow, but  
each tiny spark seemed to be sharper, crisper. A crimson aura of heat  
surrounding each dancing flame. Isaac was surrounded by his usual golden  
energy, if somewhat subdued in sleep. Mia's own blue aura, tinted purple  
with her dreams, pulsed faintly.  
  
The pale light surrounding Garet was not the usual, clean scarlet he was  
used to dealing with. It had deepened to a shade closer to maroon than  
red, and was fading in and out erratically.  
  
*A nightmare...*  
  
Ivan allowed his eyes to close again, releasing the Reveal spell. This  
time when he opened them, everything had returned to it's normal shade.  
  
*I wonder what Garet could have nightmares about?* Ivan wondered. *Hey,  
remember Ivan, curiosity killed the Jupiter Djinni. And Garet WILL kill  
you if you use Mind Read.*  
  
He looked down at his sleeping friend. *Then again...he doesn't have to  
KNOW...*  
  
Curiosity most definitely getting the better of him, Ivan held one hand  
over Garet's forehead, and cast Mind Read.  
  
He felt a sensation like falling, it always happened when he entered  
dreams. Darkness enveloped him, and didn't want to let go.  
  
Soon he surpassed that, pulling away from the darkness, and into a  
twisted dreamscape. A red sky full of black clouds oversaw a barren  
land. There was no path in such a place, only the skeletons of those  
long dead and sands that were whipped around him by violent winds.  
  
*This is weird...normally dreams are blurry, but this one could be  
real...*  
  
He began walking, pushed and pulled at every turn by wind. The farther  
he walked, the more the skeletons seemed to pile up, the more the wind  
howled down around jagged edged mountains. Ivan shivered, wrapping his  
arms around himself.  
  
*Maybe I should turn back...but...well...I've gotten this far..*  
  
That was when he caught sight of Garet.  
  
The Mars Adept was hunched down on the ground, his arms wrapped around  
himself. He seemed to be rocking back and forth, muttering to himself.  
  
"Garet?" Ivan asked before he could stop himself.  
  
*Oh great, now he'll know that I was here...*  
  
The Garet that looked up at him appeared to be younger than the Garet he  
knew. His hair was shorter, and his face was pale and tear streaked.   
"Who...who are you?"  
  
"That's not important," Ivan kneeled next to him. "Why are you crying?"  
  
"I...I killed my friend's parents," the younger Garet admitted, looking  
down.   
  
"What? I thought they were killed by a boulder," Ivan looked at him in  
shock.  
  
"It's all my fault," he whispered. "Jenna would still have her family  
and Isaac would still have his dad if I had done something. It should  
have been my parents...it should have been me...I killed one of my best  
friends..."  
  
He hung his head and started crying softly again. Around them in the sky  
Ivan could see the events of that night playing out.   
  
And for the first time, he realized that unlike Isaac, Garet hadn't  
closed his eyes when the boulder had come crashing down.  
  
"Ivan?"  
  
He tore his gaze away from the sky to see Garet's face changing, becoming  
older. "Ivan, what are you doing here?"  
  
*Oh boy...*  
  
"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed.  
  
"You used Mind Read!" Garet stood up so fast that Ivan was nearly knocked  
over. The dream world began dissolving around them, until they were back  
in a forest clearing with a fire reduced to dying embers. Garet was  
glaring down at him.   
  
"You were having a nightmare!" Ivan explained quickly, backing up. "I  
just wanted to see what it was!"  
  
"Curiosity killed the Jupiter Djinni, Ivan."  
  
*Funny, where have I heard that one before?*  
  
Garet sat down and put his head in his hands, sighing wearily. "You might  
as well get some sleep, Ivan. I won't be getting anymore tonight."  
  
Ivan nodded dumbly and went over to his sleeping pad, pulling the blanket  
over him. After several minutes of silence, he finally gathered the  
courage to venture a question. "Garet?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you really blame yourself? Do you really think that you...killed  
them?"  
  
He heard Garet shifting. Just when he thought he wouldn't get an answer,  
Garet started talking. "That night was bad for everyone, and I know I  
shouldn't dwell on it...but I can't help thinking that it should have  
been me on that dock, and not Jenna's parents and Isaac's dad. It should  
have been me in the water, and not Felix.   
  
"Everyone always told me that there I had high expectations, especially  
before my brother was born and I was the Mayor's only grandson. But...I  
didn't want any of that, so I slacked off in everything. I didn't bother  
to learn Psynergy, even though it was the duty of every citizen of Vale  
to protect Sol Sanctum with that power. Isaac...used to be just like me,  
he didn't want to learn Psynergy either, so he simply didn't.  
  
"I know Isaac blames himself for that night, but...I know he blames me,  
too. I'm the reason that he slacked off. I'm the reason  
everyone...died.  
  
"After everything, I tried to make them feel better," he heard Garet  
sigh. "But nothing can just make a pain like that go away. And when it  
really mattered...I couldn't even save Jenna from being kidnapped..."  
  
Ivan could only stare at his friend. He had always considered Garet the  
goof, the big oaf that made everyone laugh.  
  
*He just acts like that...so that Isaac doesn't have to be depressed all  
the time...*  
  
"Don't tell anyone, alright?" Garet asked in a whisper.  
  
"Okay," Ivan sat up and nodded. "You shouldn't blame yourself, Garet."  
  
"But it's my fault," Garet replied solemnly.   
  
Ivan couldn't get him to say anything more. 


End file.
